Higher Learning Commission
Accreditation Process Update
Overview
 What is accreditation?
 Significant changes in the re-accreditation
process since 2007
 Campus resources
What is accreditation?
 Voluntary process of external review to ensure
that institutions provide high-quality education
and continuously seek to improve.

Assures the public that UW – Platteville meets
clearly communicated criteria and regulations.

Ensures that faculty and students are eligible for
federal funding.
Who is our accrediting body?
 The Higher Learning Commission (HLC), a
commission of the North Central Association
(NCA)

Federally recognized private, non-profit agency
regulated by Congress through the Higher Education
Opportunity Act of 2008
What was required previously for
re-accreditation?
 Annual institutional updates and monitoring of
financial and non-financial indicators
 On-site Comprehensive Evaluation every 10
years
Self-study prior to Comprehensive Evaluation
 200+ page report produced for evaluation team

How has the process changed?
 New process called “Open Pathway” replaces
PEAQ (Program to Evaluate and Advance
Quality)
 New timeline for comprehensive evaluations
 Separation of Quality Assurance from
institutional Quality Initiative for improvement
Open Pathway
 Verifies that we are:

Meeting threshold standards


Quality Assurance (Criteria for Accreditation)
Engaged in continuous improvement

Quality Initiative
Two Separate Timelines
Quality Assurance Timeline
 Annual institutional updates and monitoring of
financial and non-financial indicators
 Two Comprehensive Quality Assurance
Reviews in a 10 year cycle
 On-site peer review in Year 10 (2016-17)
 Off-site panel review in Year 4 of next cycle (2020-21)
Quality Assurance Timeline
 Note: we’re entering the timeline mid-stream
Quality Assurance Timeline
 Annual institutional updates and monitoring
of financial and non-financial indicators
 Two comprehensive Quality Assurance Reviews
 No formalized self-study
 Electronic files continuously submitted to HLC
Assurance System
 Assurance Argument submitted in Years 4 and 10
Quality Assurance Timeline
Quality Assurance Timeline
 Annual institutional updates and monitoring
of financial and non-financial indicators
 Two comprehensive Quality Assurance Reviews
 No formalized self-study
 Revised Criteria for Accreditation
 Sub-committees assembled for each criterion
 Primary task is to identify and gather evidence to
support the Assurance Argument
Revised Criteria for Accreditation
 Mission (formerly Mission & Integrity) Chair: Christina Curras
 Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct (Preparing
for the Future) Chair: James Mueller
 Teaching and Learning: Quality, Resources, and
Support (Student Learning and Effective Teaching) Chair: Shane
Drefcinski
 Teaching and Learning: Evaluation and
Improvement (Acquisition, Discovery, and Application of
Knowledge) Co-Chairs: Colleen McCabe and Laura Bayless
 Resources, Planning and Institutional
Effectiveness (Engagement and Service) Chair: Matt Roberts
Quality Initiative
 Required to undertake a major QI designed to suit
our present concerns or aspirations.


Can continue an initiative already in progress or achieve a
key milestone in the work of a longer initiative
Must have scope and significance
 QI proposal focuses on implementation and
assessment of success of the new program review
process for APC
Quality Initiative Timeline
Summary
 Different process for accreditation
 New timelines
 Quality Assurance Argument
 New Criteria
 New process of submitting evidence files
 Quality Initiative Project
 Implementation and improvement of APC’s
Program Review process
Campus Resources
 HLC Steering Committee
 Regular meetings which anyone is welcome to attend
 Website
 Information on the process
 Timelines
 Contact information